[ JRP ] Not quite paradise but it's home | Liu & Ufisadi

[Thalion]

"Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow...." Liu lifted his paws high off the ground, hissing and gulping as he walked. Training was brutal... brutal. Why his siblings found it enjoyable he'd never know. It involved a lot of running, panting, soreness, stiffness, and of course a pile of accidental injuries. It was a standard for the troupe... everyone had to be able to at least hold their own.

Liu had gone out of his way to take on extra work so he could forgo anything combatant when he got older but that was no excuse. His father had insisted that he at least learn the basics. It meant that he had to train right along with patrol duty and tutoring... it was a lot of work. Liu wasn't a fan of work.

He slowly dipped his paws into the small stream that cut along the border of the troupe's territory. It was his turn for patrolling the western flats but at least his post had a body of cold water to enjoy.  

[SilverLutz]

Ufisadi had reached his limit. He knew this was the end. His family wouldn't have him, every pride he tried to wheedle his way into tossed him out, he couldn't live the life of a rouge...and here he was, lost in the middle of nowhere, his mouth dry and body sore and thin from lack of food. He was going to die out here, without so much as a vulture for company. He snorted quietly at the thought of his own demise. He would be the type to die alone, wouldn't he? One who always thrived being around others, but at the same time made them feel miserable. Just the end he deserved.

He lifted his weary head after a few more paces and was quite surprised to see a stream. This one had to be real...the past two had been his mind playing tricks on him, but this one...he could smell the water. He could hear the rushing water. He bounded over to it, new life forced into his limbs, and he very nearly stuck his entire head into the stream to suck up the cool water. It wasn't until he had had his fill that he realized he wasn't alone. Looking down the stream a few paces, he spotted another feline. Oh no...a stream and a healthy looking male usually meant one of two things. He was either about to be ambushed, or he was on the edge of some pride that would surely reject him.

Oh well...no harm in playing nice for the time being...

"Ah...hello," he said with a wide grin that made him look like his father. "Sorry...is this your stream?" Even with his rather average build, Ufi wasn't one to fight. Especially not in his rather famished state.

Thalion

 

[Thalion]

Liu wasn't a coward by any means but he certainly wasn't brave either. He would stand and fight if and when it came down to it but that didn't make him any less easy to rattle up or catch off-guard. The cheetion yelped and nearly leapt back from the stream. His hackles raised up and his eyes went wide. He didn't know the voice, he would have remembered it if he'd heard it before. A stranger! A vampire? A threat!?

The male whipped his head about and tensed even further as a strange male, gray as smoke with only licks of blue across his body, broke the landscape just a few yards off. Liu drew in a deep breath and gathered himself up. He wasn't large by any means and he likely couldn't scare the spots off a baby cheetah if he wanted to.

"Uh... no, not at all." His stream? Perhaps the rogue thought this was his territory. It was flattering but he wouldn't pull wool over the rogue's eyes. "Are you... lost? You don't look very good, guy. Health-wise I mean... are you okay?"

SilverLutz

 

[SilverLutz]

Ufisadi tried not to snicker as the cheetion nearly jumped out of his skin. Ah, this really wasn't the time for pranks and tricks, as much as he wanted to spook him again. He really needed a bit of help, and if this was his only chance, he didn't want to blow it.

He glanced over his shoulder at his own slim body, wincing a bit as he noticed his ribs were a bit visible. Urgh...he hadn't eaten in what seemed like forever. At least he had some water in him. And this wasn't the other male's stream...was he a rouge as well? Or perhaps just a scout for a larger pride. Ufisadi's ears pricked a bit in hope as he turned his head back to look at the smaller feline.

"Not really lost. Just wandering. No where to go, not sure if there is somewhere I can go....you know. Life of a rouge," he said with a slightly self depreciating laugh. "Haven't really eaten in a while, thus the ah...skeletal appearance. Normally I'm fit." He tossed his head back a bit, hoping his mane, at least, still spoke of his health. If this was a scout, he wanted to impress him a bit to hopefully invite him into his pride. He wasn't much of a fighter, but if he needed to be one to eat, he could certainly try.

"So, not your stream, huh? You a rouge as well?"

Thalion

 

[Thalion]

SilverLutz

"I... wouldn't know." The cheetion answered with a crooked smirk. The life of a rogue must have been difficult. This male wasn't the first wanderer he'd seen and he'd likely not be the last. A few had already joined up with them and they had improved dramatically since their first arrival. As much as he hated to give any credit to the old male's teachings, Feng had a point to there being strength in numbers.

"Oh no. I'm a Tensoku. A ah... scout of sorts." He straightened up and gave a jerk of his chin back towards the coastline. "The river's kind of a border mark. From the far bank eastward is Chokwe territory. If...you're tired you're welcome to come rest in here. If anything you won't have to watch your back at night."  

[SilverLutz]

Ah, so the other feline was from a pride. Ufisadi thanked his lucky stars for that. He hadn't seen hide nor hair of any living creature for at least a week out there in the rouge lands. Not even one single field mouse. This cheetion was the answer to his prayers as long as he continued to play his cards right.

The offer to stay for a night or so perked his spirits quite a bit. He knew to be cautious with prides - some of them had some sticky rules he really didn't like getting tangled up in - but this guy seemed pretty relaxed. Normally prides that had strict rules and regulations had some pretty scary scouts.

"Chokwe, huh? Never heard of that before. Is there any special rule I have to follow if I wanna spend a night or two?" he asked, tilting his head. "And just out of curiosity, do you accept rouges as new members?" Some of the prides he had come across had chased him away for being born from a rouge father. Others had fended him off because he was male. There were some oddities out there, but he had his paws crossed that this pride would accept strangers into their ranks. He could give it a few days test run to see if he liked it if they did. Who knew? Maybe he'd found the place to call home after all these years.

Thalion

 

[Thalion]

SilverLutz

Liu's crooked smirk leveled out and widened. Soon he broke into a small fit of laughter. "Rules? We're pretty relax here. Worship what you want, however you want. Just don't do anything that would hurt the others here, and we're really not into some of the behaviors that....well hint on mental illness." He tapped the side of his head. "Knocking around with hyenas and preforming weird sacrificial rituals. None of that."

The second question earned another chuckle. "Most of us, or our parents, were rogues. Eventually even wandering paws need to take a break. When that happens, many find there way here. I can take you in if you like? If you want to stay, you're welcome to but if you want to leave we won't stop you either." He raised a paw. "If you do stick around, though, you're free to come and go as you want."  

[SilverLutz]

The laughter of the cheetion relaxed the lion a bit more. Having a laugh at someone's expense was second nature to him. He knew better than to be offended, as he really hadn't done anything that wasn't expected. He had no idea what this pride was all about, and now that he did know the basics of how it worked, he could see how the smaller feline would find it funny.

"Right. Seems like the other prides I've come across look for that kinda stuff," he said, shaking his head and rolling his eyes. Really, some of them were crazy! This Chokwe place seemed perfect, though. No strict rules, coming and going as they pleased, keeping enough muscle around to protect everyone and feed every mouth...paradise on earth.

"Yeah, I think I'll take you up on that offer. Gettin' some food into me would be a good idea, I think." That and being able to sleep knowing he wasn't going to get pounced on by some bigger, tougher lion. "I'm Ufisadi by the way," he added, just remembering now that he hadn't introduced himself. "But if we ever cross paths after this you can just call me Ufi."

Thalion

 

[Thalion]

SilverLutz

"I don't know much about other prides personally, but the Chiraku always had something to say about them. You should give them a listen sometime." Most of the members had once lived in another pride, some more hostile than others. Each of them had their own stories to tell about rivalries, strange traditions, and of course their reasons for leaving. Others had lived as rogues and had seen more of the world but knew so little about living in a group that it had taken them some time to get used to the idea. Still others had been beside themselves that hyenas, cheetahs, leopards, lions, and of course hybrids would all live together all without a single complaint.

"There's some real weird ones out there. A pride of all girls, prides where they think they're demons, and then you got the blood-suckers." He shuddered. "Pretty much everyone here has a story about one of those prides. Some even have scars from their run-ins with them. I'm not a combatant myself... it's too messy."

He offered a smile and a flick of his long tail. "My name's Liu. If you shorten it any more you'll just sound silly. Come on." He turned about and began towards the territory at a brisk lope. His first recruitment!...hopefully.  

[SilverLutz]

Ufisadi listened with a nod now and then as a few of the prides rung some bells. Yes, they sounded similar to ones he had spied in on. This pride, thankfully, seemed nice and normal. He liked normal. Normal meant he'd be the slightly odd one, and would fit right in just the way he wanted to. Helping out, but causing mischief from time to time. It would be perfect.

"Ha! True. Liu it is, then," he said with a chuckle. "I suppose I could call you L, but who wants to be just a letter? Hardly any fun in that." He tossed one last look over his shoulder as he followed Liu towards the pride's lands, glancing at what used to be his home. Good riddance. He had almost died out there! Not where he wanted to stay. With a little toss of his head, he trotted after Liu, a bit of pep in his step.  

[Thalion]

SilverLutz

"L?" Liu snorted and gave a sharp shake of his head. "No thanks, I get enough hell as it is. The last thing I need is a silly nickname." Not that "Liu" was much better. His brothers had strong, masculine names to go with their larger, imposing frames. His sister even dwarfed him. Perhaps it had been his mother's sense of humor or perhaps it meant something to his father- he couldn't really say either way. It stood out, just as he had in his litter.

"Try not to worry too much about settling in. Sometimes it takes a bit to find what you want to do." He glanced over. "Feng will drill any doubt out of your skull if you let him. Or we have the performers if you'd rather stay on the safe side of the battlefield."
 

[SilverLutz]

Ufisadi gave a little chuckle. "All right. No nicknames for you," he said, waving a paw as they walked. Honestly, he didn't care. Some people liked nicknames, others didn't, and that was fine. He might call him 'L' anyway just to annoy him later on, but for now he knew he had to play nice.

"Oh, I'm not too worried about fittin' in," the larger feline said, scoffing quietly. "I can fit in any role that needs fillin'." Really, he could be an entertainer or a fighter. He was thankful for his build and for his mind alike. "Wherever there's room I'll go. Or if something...I dunno, speaks to me after a few weeks."

He trotted along beside the cheetion, a smile on his face. This was good. He'd have a home and could meet some new lions. That's what he needed in his life right now. An escape from what he used to be. Hopefully this was the right place for him.

'Thalion"

Last post from me